AMD Athlon 64 - Idles at 130+ F

I have cooling issue(s)

CPU: AMD Athlon 64 3200+ (Socket 754) with a aftermarket aluminum heat sink with heat pipes.

My first problem (one I cant change) the room temperature is anywere from 80 to 90 degrees F (Averages 85 degrees). My second problem is cash, I cant spend alot of it (or I would have the most pimped out water cooling system you have ever seen lol ).

So I am mainly looking for advice on what I should do. Mainly I am thinking of water cooling, but I dont trust it for the water. Of corse if I think about it when my CPU was overheating a few hours ago, I put ice (thats right, frozen water) inside my computer. I think water cooling is safer than dropping a bucket of ice in your computer when you want it to run cool and quiet.

So I have no idea what the "trusted brands" are I should be looking at because im a n00b at water cooling. Mainly it has to be cheap but effective at cooling down my CPU when its running at temps that my software cant even pick up (154+ F). But I would also like it to be quiet because I hate the sound 6 fans running while I try to sleep.

Thanks for the help.
-Jnitrofish

what type of fan are you using on the heatsink, what type of heatsink is it, and what type of thermal compound are you using with it? How many fans do you have in your case? What type of case is it?

You could try to clean up the cables to improve the airflow, as well as creating your own home-made air duct.

Try to post some pictures if you can so we have a better idea of what you're speaking of.

-GearShift3r

The heat sink is a XG (Xtreme Gamer) Ice Age. The themal compound is the same that came with the heat sink.

And I will get some pictures as requested, I have pictures allready but I have just modded the case setup a bit for better air flow to the CPU.

The fan in the window of the case is blowing in cool air just below the CPU fan that blows the cool air though the heat sink, the heated air from the heat sink is then ether sucked out of the computer by the 2 fans in the PSU or the one fan mounted on the outside of the case on the top.

so thats 2 case fans, 1 CPU fan, 2 PSU fans. One sucking cool air in the case, 3 blowing hot air out of the case.

-------EDIT------

Like I said I just did some mods to the case with a fresh restart, the CPU is at 73 degrees F (System:90F | PSU:115F | Room:82F) BUT My computer normally runs cool after a fresh restart, in fact its hard to get it to run hot. Nomally after 2 days of running (yes I need it running) it wants to run hot like the 130-150+F, and it does not allways start up cool like it is now but thats been normal for the past year.

You better remount and check the heatsink there's no way you can hit 55 degrees celsius.

I have 3000 venice core at 2.6ghz running 42 load with the stock heatsink. Sure my room isn't as warm but there's something that isn't right if you're hitting 55.

That heat sink is tightly clamped on there, I am a bit questionable about the ammount of themal compound on it though. It seems a bit patchy. I will get some more of that when I go to the computer store wendsday (which is tomorrow I just realized, hmm).

All you need is a thin glaze to be efficent.

If it heats up over a long period of time, that sounds to me like bad case airflow. When you open the case, does the air feel hot? Does the heatsink feel hot?

Yeah the inside of the case did fell rather hot yesterday before I changed the way the fans were blowing.

The fans were like this: Window fan blowing right on top of the heat sink (not giving it air) and the roof fan (as I realized) was blowing into the case just pushing the hot air down back to be sucked into the processor heat sink (<< well there's your problem).

I just changed that to were the roof fan is sucking the hot air out along with the power supply fans and the window fan is blowing cool air just below the heat sink fan to were it can suck it in. and cool down the processor.


But I have not had enough time to test this fan setup out.

The web site that i found out what my heat sink was is a bit messed up.

It would seem im actually using the XG sub zero heat sink...

http://www.mgecompany.com/xg/products_accessories_cpucoolingfans_subzero.php

Water Cooling

I am going to the computer store tomorrow and I plan on looking at warter cooling systems for my CPU. Who are some good makers of water cooling systems? What do you use in your system(s)?

Before you go to buying a new cooling system reapply your current heatsink/fan with some new thermal paste on the cpu. take some high proof alcohol to clean off the old and reapply it and put the heatsink back on. i was having the same problem once and going back and redoing it solved my problem, so instead of saying you think its on there tight redo it. will save you alot of money.

Danger Den and Swiftech are some of the largest brands. They also provide effective cooling solutions.

-GearShift3r

I got a thermalright si-97-a with a 3 bladed fan cua my temps were 38 idle, after i installed that one right now, my temps 31.

I say stick a 120mm fan on the back of that case. I think that would vastly improve things.

If the air in the case is hot, it isn't a problem with the cooler. The problem is that you don't have proper airflow in and out of your case. I'd recomend cutting out the fan grills, and maybe adding a few more fans, before spending hundreds on watercooling.

Get an incence burner and hold it in front of the intake then watch to see what happens to the air flow